The gospel will surprise you and thrill you when you see its true dynamism. The gospel can paradoxically create and abolish religion. Sounds impossible, but it’s true. Pastor Tim Keller captures the dynamism of the gospel when he writes: “The gospel calls us out of religion as much as it calls us out of irreligion.” This statement sounds confusing. Isn’t Christianity a religion? Doesn’t the gospel promote and produce religion? Well. Um. Kinda sorta. Two Religions It all comes … [Read more...] about The Irreligious Religion of Christianity
Archives for May 2013
Simple Faith
We tend to complicate faith, but faith is fairly simple. If someone asked me what it means to have saving faith in Jesus, I would say saving faith involves truly believing in Jesus (more than just intellectual assent) and is verified by a life lived for him. That sounds good, but if we're not careful, we can complicate and clutter faith by adding too many qualifiers.In the quote below, Tim Keller points out just how subtle these additions to faith can be in evangelical churches. These … [Read more...] about Simple Faith
Experience
Experience can do one of two things. It can either make you a worse critic or a better helper. You can take your knowledge and experience and judge others. You can say how you wouldn’t have done it that way. You can critique every last detail. You can puff up your own ego because you’ve identified where someone else has failed. Or... You can take your knowledge and experience and offer the most insightful, empathetic help. You can anticipate needs. You can soothe nerves. You can give … [Read more...] about Experience
Crawford Loritts on Luke Eight
https://vimeo.com/65644502 Crawford Loritts worked through Luke 8, finding several common themes and culling many helpful lessons. In Luke 8, we have three very distinct and disparate stories. There is the demoniac, the hemorrhaging woman, and Jairus's daughter. Despite the differences, Loritts outlines three common themes. Every person had no control over his/her affliction.Every person was out of options.Every person encountered Jesus. From the stories and these observations, … [Read more...] about Crawford Loritts on Luke Eight
Colin Smith on the Preaching of Jesus
https://vimeo.com/65389541 Colin Smith recently shared some thoughts on the preaching of Jesus out of Luke 4.Smith noted Four Distinguishing Marks of Jesus' Preaching: Jesus preaches the scriptures.Jesus preaches directly to the human condition.Jesus preaches himself.Jesus preaches Grace. But, as Smith points out, the hearers were filled with wrath despite the excellent preaching. Smith therefore concludes Grace will make you angry or lead you to worship. Editor's Note: This is part … [Read more...] about Colin Smith on the Preaching of Jesus
Kevin DeYoung on Luke Fifteen
https://vimeo.com/65390960 DeYoung outlines his sermon on Luke 15 in the following way: DeYoung wants to give us 1 key point to understanding the text.DeYoung wants to give us 2 things we should note about God from these stories.DeYoung wants to give us 3 things we need to do. One. To properly understand the stories of Luke 15, we must remember what provokes them: criticism about Jesus hanging around sinners. All the stories that follow address this tension.Two. We see a minor theme … [Read more...] about Kevin DeYoung on Luke Fifteen